Left for Love
by emmisunni
Summary: Zoey's loss of comrades at Rayford forces her to travel with Ellis, Nick, Coach, & Rochelle. Rated M for strong sexual themes and language. Zoey x Ellis centered.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes****: This is my first fan fiction; I'm not really a writer. I'd really appreciate reviews and suggestions as to where to go with the story. Thanks for reading.**

**Chapter 1**

A thick fog crept in over the aged buildings. A soft orange orb grew in intensity as the survivors passed an antique-looking streetlamp. Rayford's historic district was massive. They had been driving for at least an hour, but the fog was thickening, constricting their view of the faintly lit cobblestone street.

"Ellis, we'd better slow down. This fog is getting awful thick," Rochelle suggested as she peered into the dense mist.

Ellis slowed the car to nearly a crawl. "Shoot, it is gettin' harder 'n harder to see. I don't wanna crash into nothin'. Jimmy Gibbs would not be pleased."

"All the noise from the crash would no doubt attract a horde. That's the last thing we want in this damned fog," Coach added.

"Shouldn't be much longer. Just keep checkin' those buildings for a safehouse," Ellis said, wearily.

Zoey's face was plastered to the window, staring out into nothingness. Bill had sacrificed himself for the group, and now Louis and Francis were gone. They were gone. Zoey couldn't believe it.

_She had only just manned herself at the machine gun on the bridge when the two tanks galloped into view. Two horrifying monstrosities headed straight for them. Before she knew it, a huge chunk of concrete was sailing through the air, right at Louis and Francis, who were perched on the balcony. A third had snuck in from a side alley._

_She didn't know how long she had been screaming and crying. But she just stared at the concrete slab on top of her two comrades. She wouldn't move. She just collapsed in terrifying sobs, staring at the concrete. Francis' tattooed arm sticking out underneath it, and a pool of crimson blood expanding. _

"_ZOEY, WE GOT TO GO!" Ellis shouted at her, running up the metal bridge stairs. He grabbed her hand, but she wouldn't budge. He scooped her up in his arms and ran back to the car, placing her in the backseat with Rochelle and Nick. _

She hadn't moved since he placed her there. She sat curled up in a ball, staring out of the window. Her tears hadn't stopped flowing.

"Zoey, darling, we're here," Rochelle said as she patted Zoey's shoulder. Zoey looked down, muttered a weak 'okay', but didn't move. Rochelle sighed and took both her and Zoey's backpacks inside.

Ellis himself hadn't moved from the driver's seat. He had been staring at Zoey via the rearview mirror for a few minutes now, his blue eyes deep in a soft gaze. He finally got out, squatted down next to the car and opened Zoey's door slowly. She looked at him, eyes meeting, hers swollen, glassy, and red. He took her hand gently.

"Zoey, I know it hurts, but we got to get inside for the night." He tugged gently and led her into the building.

Zoey looked around the dimly lit room, faint light pouring in from barred windows. Nick leaned against a wall, lighting a cigarette; Rochelle rummaging through a med kit for a few bandages. Normally, Zoey would be a bit nervous that Ellis was holding onto her hand, but she was too distressed and exhausted to object.

"There's two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. But only one's got a mattress," Coach announced as he came back downstairs.

"You should take the room with the mattress, Zoey, Who wants the other room?" Rochelle suggested, as she inspected some sleeping bags in the corner of the room.

"Coach should take it for now," Nick grunted as he pushed a dresser in front of the steel door. "I'll stay up a bit and keep watch. It's been too quiet around here."

"Sounds good to me," Coach said, picking out his sleeping bag and carrying it upstairs.

"C'mon, I'll lead you up," Ellis said soothingly, tugging Zoey along softly.

Ellis opened up the door and led Zoey inside. She took a seat on the mattress and ran her fingers and hands through her hair.

"I'll be back with a blanket in a sec'," Ellis said, closing the door gently.

Zoey looked around the room. A dilapidated bed frame was crammed into the corner of the room. The closet door was collapsed, revealing some stacked boxes and clothes, strewn on the floor. Faded photos of a small family decorated the wall next to the window. "Mom… dad," she murmured.

A soft knock came from the door. "Come in," Zoey said, softly. Ellis peeked in, then slowly opened the door, holding a few sheets.

"Sorry, but this is all I could find. They were in a closet, so at least they're clean." He placed the folded sheets in the middle of the bed and sat down next to her. "How ya holdin' up?"

"I don't know, to be honest. I just feel so… I don't even know…" Zoey choked, placing her face into her hands.

"It'll be okay, Zo. Can I call you Zo?" he inquired. She nodded softly.

"I've felt like you do too. Don't know how to feel. Sad… Angry… Scared… Hell, we've all lost people…" Ellis paused. He hunched over slightly, clasped together his hands, staring at the floorboards.

"I'm sorry," Zoey wavered, trying to hold back tears. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's already happened, so nothin' we can do to change that."

There was a minute of silence. Zoey returned her stare from Ellis to a frame on the wall.

"How do you do it?"

"Hm? How do I do what?" Ellis glanced at Zoey.

"When I met you earlier today, you were just so… cheerful. If you've lost people, how can you do it?" The image of her comrades popped into her head. Bill keeping watch out a crack in the window. Francis cleaning his shotgun. Louis sleeping soundly on the floor next to her.

Ellis blushed slightly. The first moment he saw Zoey up on that bridge he was dumbstruck. He had never seen a girl so beautiful. She was leaning against the railing, with a rifle slung across her shoulder. He had let Rochelle do all the talking. He was sure Nick was snickering and shaking his head, at him gaping at this girl.

"Ellis?" Ellis blinked rapidly and looked over at her, her green eyes widened.

"Oh, uhm, I'm sorry miss. Was just thinkin' about somethin' from earlier today. Dunno where my mind went to…" His blush deepened a bit.

Zoey smiled softly. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."

There were a few seconds of silence before Ellis stood up. "I'll letchu get some sleep now, miss," he said, while stretching.

"Ellis?"

"Yes'm?" He turned back to face her, only to be blessed with the sweetest smile he's ever seen.

"Thanks for talking with me. I feel a bit better."

"Ain't no problem at all, Zo." He smiled back and closed the door behind him.

Zoey tossed and turned under the sheets.

_They're gone. Gone forever. There's nothing I can do to change that. I'll miss them dearly, but at least I'm not alone. _

Zoey's eyes began to slowly shut. _Mom… dad? Can you hear me? I promise. I promise I won't disappoint you anymore._ She drifted into sleep.

* * *

Zoey awoke to soft orange sunlight pouring into the window. She tugged on her shoes and proceeded downstairs.

"Morning, Zoey," Coach looked up at her, while shuffling through some supplies in the corner.

"Hey Zoey," Rochelle chimed in, carrying some cans from the kitchen. "Lucky for us they had canned fruit here." She handed each of each of them an opened can.

"Thanks, Ro," Nick said, putting down his gun.

"Is Ellis still sleeping?" Rochelle wondered. She had barely finished her question when Ellis strode down the stairs.

"Mornin' y'all," he said cheerfully. "What's for breakfast, Ro?"

"Fruit. We got a can of pears for you right here."

As they all ate in relative silence, Zoey finally asked, "So where are we headed?"

"New Orleans," Coach declared. "Supposedly that's the only city still evacuating."

"I still don't see how we're going to get to god damned Louisiana from Georgia," Nick scoffed.

"We still got Jimmy Gibbs racecar. That should take us purdy far," Ellis added.

"For now, New Orleans is the only place we got," Coach mumbled as he finished his can of fruit.

Rochelle was eyeing the map. "It looks like we can get to the freeway from here. We're still next to the river. It shouldn't be too far."

"Will the freeway take us south? We should probably head to I-10. That interstate will take us straight to New Orleans," Coach added.

"Looks like it will," Rochellle replied, hopefully.

"Well, let's get a move on," Nick rose, picking up his gun and bag.

They had been driving for hours. The speed was kept fairly low as they weaved in between abandoned and crashed cars. They had found the freeway long ago and began heading south towards Florida. The windshield of the car was stained with blood from zombies stumbling in the way of the car. Luckily they hadn't run into any big hordes or special infected yet.

"Shit, we gotta find a gas station. We got a little less than a quarter of a tank left," Ellis bit his lip. A moment later he chuckled. "This reminds me of this one time, me and ma buddy Keith went mud ridin'. Now you MAY think we got stuck in the mud… but nah, we actually ran outta gas. We had to hike three miles through…"

"Ellis…" Nick shot him a death glare.

"Sign says Valdosta's just ten miles ahead. We should stop for gas and supplies," Coach suggested.

Zoey had been fairly quiet the entire ride, keeping to her own thoughts. She thought about what Ellis said last night and had finally decided that she wasn't going to be weak anymore. She was going to survive. For her parents. For her fallen friends. For her new friends. For herself. Her eyes widened in excitement and anticipation, and she had the broadest smile. For the first time in a long time, she felt exhilarated.

"Zoey, you okay?" Rochelle noted, seeing Zoey's change in expression.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just been thinking about stuff." Rochelle smiled softly and rubbed Zoey's shoulder.

Twenty minutes later they arrived in Valdosta. The blue racecar rolled up to a gas pump and everyone got out. Zoey stretched and leaned into the back of the car.

Nick and Coach headed inside the building, guns at the ready. Rochelle began to look at each pump station, looking for a squeegee to clean the bloodied windshield with.

Ellis began fueling up the car. "I hope to God they got enough gas left in this place."

"If not, we can always scavenge around the town for extra gas cans." Zoey said, glancing over to Ellis.

"Mhm, we sure could."

Zoey scooted along the car to Ellis. "Thanks again for last night; it really made me feel better." She smiled at the southern man as he blushed slightly.

"Oh, it's nothin'," he mumbled, eyes avoiding her smile. Zoey giggled at his bashfulness.

Zoey caught Rochelle's wide smile and she returned with a wet squeegee. She obviously had heard them.

Coach and Nick returned with some bags of supplies and began loading them into the car.

"It's been too quiet around here," Nick said, glancing at the abandoned buildings with a few straggling infected in the streets, uninterested in the survivors. "I don't like it."

"Don't let'chur guard down, now," Coach warned.

"I don't think we should get back on the freeway," Rochelle added, studying the map. "If we just keep driving south, we'll no doubt hit the interstate. We need to have shelter in case of a horde."

They all hopped back into the car and began driving again. The sky had clouded up hours earlier, threatening rain. Zoey stared out of the window up at the gray sky.

Nick had his window rolled down, and was shooting idling infected with his pistol.

"Shit, it's starting to rain," Nick sighed and began rolling his window up.

Ellis slowed his speed as the rain began to pour down, drenching the landscape and making it impossible to see.

"We gotta find a building for the night," Coach stated.

Everyone gathered their bags and stepped out into the soaking rain.

"Stay together now!" Coach shouted, wielding his gun, shooting infected as they became visible.

As they moved along the side of the road, some taller buildings came into view.

"We shou—" Rochelle was cut off as a smoker tongue dragged her off.

"SMOKER!" Ellis yelled, running in Rochelle's direction with his axe.

Before Zoey knew it, a horde approached, surrounding the group from all directions. She began shooting down zombie after zombie with her rifle. Nick was yelling as he shot infected heads clear off.

Ellis came running back, Rochelle in his arms. "Guys, we gotta get inside, Rochelle's bleedin' bad!"

The group stuck together in a tight circle, moving closer to the buildings. The rain was so severe, none of them could hear the charger approaching. By the time Zoey caught sight of it, it was too late. It scooped her up and ran, slamming her into the side of the first building. Its huge grotesque hand wrapped around her waist, and crushed her into the pavement. Zoey couldn't even scream, her head pounding into the hard cement, pain wracking through every bone in her torso. Then everything went black. The screams of her comrades fading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Zoey awoke to immense pain in her chest, back, and head, her mouth stale and dry. She tried to sit up, but couldn't muster the strength, and soon fell to the floor, catching Ellis' attention.

"Shit, Zoey, you're awake!" He exclaimed, dropping his bag and rushing to her. "Here, take this." He opened a bottle of pain pills and a bottle of water, placing them in Zoey's mouth. She swallowed, the cool water relieving her parched throat.

"How long was I out?" she croaked.

"About three hours. We finally got that charger off'a you. There weren't much zombies runnin' to us after that, so we were finally able to get somewhere safe."

Zoey looked to her right, Rochelle's midsection bandaged up, Nick and Coach asleep on the floor next to her.

"Lucky you ain't got many open wounds from that attack. Mostly internal stuff. Your torso is bruised up pretty good." Zoey looked down and noticed her tank top was off, and her chest covered in bandages and gauze.

"Hopefully the gauze is some good padding. Those bruises gotta hurt."

"Yeah, they do. I'll be okay though," Zoey said while managing to sit herself up on the wall, while Ellis held his hands out in case she fell.

"I'll be okay, really." Zoey smiled at his concerned face. "How are the others?"

"Smoker got Rochelle purdy bad. By the time I got there, he had ripped her shirt open and was clawin' at her chest. Coach 'n Nick are fine though. Just a couple scratches n cuts. We gotta stay here a couple days, though, for you and Ro to get back in gear."

"Where's the bathroom?" Zoey wondered, looking around the room.

"It's upstairs… I can uh.. carry you up if you gotta go." Ellis glanced away.

"It's fine. I should be able to go myself. I'm just a bit stiff," Zoey said heaving. Stiff was such an understatement. Her head and torso still ached something fierce. _I hope these painkillers kick in soon_, Zoey sighed as she stood up shakily. Ellis watched in concern as she slowly made her way up the stairs.

Zoey sighed in relief as she closed the bathroom door behind her. After relieving her full bladder she bent over the counter, staring at her reflection, shoulders and back crying out in pain. Her face was dirty and had a few cuts, and she noticed the headband of gauze wrapped around her head. She exhaled deeply and turned on the faucet, hopes low. She gasped as cold water gushed out. She cupped her hands under it and splashed her face. She carefully undid her head bandage, staring at the bloody gauze before dunking her head under the running water, the water draining from her head, dark, dirty, with crimson streaks. She scrubbed her aching head until the water ran clear, ignoring the pain as she lifted her arms. She found a small towel hanging on a rack and wrapped it around her shoulders.

A knock came at the door. "Zoey?" Ellis peeked in, staring at her wet hair. "Shoot, was worried 'boutchu for a second there, since you been in here a while." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told you, I'd be okay," Zoey said smiling and ruffling Ellis's hair slightly. "The water's running here. Means the bath probably still works," she added, pointing to the tub.

"If you wanna take a bath, I'd rebandage you after," Ellis suggested, blushing a bit at the thought.

"Hmm… I suppose I could."

"Just lemme know when you're done, 'kay?" he said with a smile.

Zoey nodded and closed the door. She got out of her pants, then attempted to take her bra off, but her shoulders screamed out when she tried to bend them back. She sighed and blushed a bit, staring at the door. She couldn't ask him to do that. She had never ever had a guy undress her before. Dirty thoughts rushed through her head. She turned a deep shade of red and she tried to rid her mind of them. She tried again to get her under garments off, but the attempt was in vain. Her shoulders screamed even louder than before. She sighed and opened the door.

"Ellis?"

"Yes'm?" He stopped staring out of the window and turned around.

"I.. uh.. can't get these bandages off. Can you help?" she murmured, her face burning with blush.

Ellis' face was even redder. He didn't say anything but walked slowly over.

The door shut behind them.

"Back hurts too bad to take 'em off?" Ellis asked as he kneeled behind her and started unwinding the bandages.

"Yeah… I can't bend my arms back. My shoulders must be bruised up pretty bad."

"Yeah.. You're completely black and blue back here…" Ellis said as he removed the towel from her shoulders, nearly flinching at the sight.

"I should probably wash my clothes too since I'm at it. I haven't washed them in weeks."

"Yeah we can do that after you finish your bath," Ellis mumbled, blushing.

He finished unwrapping the gauze from her torso. "Ow… I didn't realize I had cuts on my waist."

"Chargers got claws on 'em too," Ellis chuckled. He stopped as he reached the clip on her bra.

Zoey blushed, "Um… it's okay you know. I'm facing this way… so it's okay."

Ellis' blush was deepening. He had never taken the bra off of a girl before. I mean.. it was just so she could take a bath, right? It wasn't intimate. His face got even hotter. He couldn't help but stare at her physique. Even though she was bruised and cut up, she still looked breath taking to him.

"Ellis?" Zoey murmured. She turned around to see his smoky blue eyes in a softened gaze, staring into hers. "Ellis.." They both blushed and Ellis glanced back and forth between her and the wall.

"It's okay… 'cuz to be honest, I'm just as nervous as you," Zoey bit her lip. "I never had a guy see me in my underwear before…" she chuckled nervously.

They sat in silence for a moment, alternating glances. "I-I'm sorry," Zoey suddenly stuttered, "I shouldn't have asked you to help me."

"No no, miss. I'm sorry. I just…" Ellis paused for a moment and nearly choked on what he was about to say. "It's just that you're the gosh darn most beautiful woman I ever seen in my entire life." He looked down at the floor, cheeks on fire.

Zoey watched as the young southerner looked downward, clearly embarrassed. She couldn't help but giggle and smile. "So that's how you really feel, huh?" Zoey wondered.

She still trying to be strong for all those she lost. Was becoming intimately involved with someone in an apocalypse a good idea? The first thing she noted when she first met Ellis was his extremely kind eyes. Blue and deep as the ocean itself. He was of course very handsome. Light brown, curly, unkempt hair poking out from the sides of his hat. She couldn't help herself.

Before she knew it she was pressed against him, her lips flattened against his. Their lips lingered for a second after catching their breath.

Ellis had nearly panicked when he noticed she was kissing him. He had just met her a few days ago and was completely head over heels for her. Now this girl was kneeling in between his legs, kissing him. He felt that his heart was going to jump out of his chest.

He didn't know what to do or what to say after they broke away from each other. "You okay?" Zoey asked, placing her hand on his chest softly.

"You uh… caught me off guard there, Zo," he said nervously, running his hand through his hair.

Zoey smiled but didn't say anything. She turned around again and he slowly unhooked her bra, allowing it to fall onto her lap. "Thanks, mister," Zoey chuckled a bit. She proceeded to stand up and slide her panties down to the floor, where she stepped out of them. Ellis' mind was in mess. He didn't know how red his face was. _I must look like a damn moron just gaping at her_, he thought as he stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Zoey asked softly. When Ellis turned around, she was right behind him, looking up at him with wide green eyes.

"You want me to stay?" Ellis asked, still a bit shocked. Zoey pouted her lips a bit and slowly nodded.

Zoey tugged at his shirt softly and began to remove it, his arms held high above his head. "A-Are you sure about this Zoey?" Ellis stuttered, heart beating out of his chest.

"You already have me, Ellis," Zoey whispered as she grabbed the top of his half-removed work suit, pulling him closer. She couldn't help herself. He completely had her. Even though she was hesitant about becoming involved with someone, she was sure. There was just something about Ellis. She felt extremely safe with this man.

"The water's cold," Zoey shivered and moved closer to Ellis.

"At least it's clean," Ellis chuckled. His heart was still thumping deep in his chest, it had been the entire time. It felt like an eternity waiting for the bath to fill up. Zoey had been sitting on the side of the tub, he was sitting against the door again, ogling her. It was incredibly difficult for him to take his eyes off of her, and she knew it. Zoey had decided to have a bit of fun with it to help her ignore her pain.

After they had both scrubbed themselves clean of the blood, guts, dirt, and grime, Zoey kneeled between Ellis' legs, lips against his collarbone, inhaling his scent. Ellis had his hands glued to Zoey's lower back, trying not to touch her injuries, his blush deepening as he felt her breasts softly press against his chest.

Zoey kissed his jawbone and chills shot up his spine. "Zoey…" he murmured. She lifted her hand off the bottom of the tub to touch his chest, and she felt it brush against a... part of him. Zoey quickly retracted her hand from the water as Ellis twitched and glanced to the wall, his blush burning through his skin. She bit her lip as she smiled, giggling softly.

"I uh… I-I'm sorry, Zo," Ellis stuttered, face a deep red and eyes a bit glassy. "It's okay," Zoey said between giggles.

Ellis' didn't think his face could get any redder. After Zoey stopped giggling, she apologized, "I'm sorry, Ellis, it's just that your bashful expression was so cute."

Ellis chuckled nervously, "That's sweet, Zoey," as he ran his hands through his wet hair.

Soon, their clothes were damp, wringed, and hanging in front of the open window. Ellis and Zoey sat wrapped in their towels, cuddled near the drying clothing, eyes becoming heavy. Nick came bounding up the stairs and smirked then shook his head as he closed the bathroom door.

"Ellis?"

"Yes, Zoey?"

"Thank you," she whispered before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Zoey woke up with a blanket draped over her. Ellis was standing near the window, taking down Zoey's now dried clothes and folding them. He was already dressed in his clean(er) clothes. She sat upright, back still sore and bruised, blanket falling down on her lap. She quickly pulled it back up and blushed and smiled sheepishly as she noticed Ellis looking at her.

"Morning, Zo," Ellis grinned and sat down next to her. "How ya feelin'?"

"Pretty stiff. My back and shoulders seem only to hurt really bad if I twist them too much," Zoey added, fidgeting under the blanket. "I should be okay, though." She smiled at him.

A few minutes later they went downstairs. Nick was polishing his shotgun, staring out the window. "There's no food here, fellas. So breakfast is whatever ya got in your backpack," Coach said, disappointingly rummaging through the cabinets. Rochelle was lying on the couch, inspecting her fresh bandages.

"Morning you two," Rochelle chimed, smiling. Nick shot a quick glance at the two, who took a seat next to the backpacks. Ellis searched through his backpack for a few packets of crackers for him and Zoey.

"How are you holding up, Rochelle?" Zoey asked, before tearing open her packet of saltines.

"Oh I'll be fine in a day or so. I feel much better after a good night's sleep," she winked. "How bad did that charger get you?"

"I'm just bruised up and sore. I only had a couple of cuts, and they're scabbing over well," Zoey said, scratching her head.

"Hopefully we're ready to go tomorrow. Me 'n Nick can go look for supplies," Ellis suggested.

"Forget it, Overalls," Nick scoffed and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke out through the barred window.

Ellis pursed his lips, "Coach, will you come with me?"

"Sure, boy. I ain't eatin' just crackers today," he said, slinging his backpack and AK-47 over his shoulder. "We should be back within a few hours. We won't wander more than a mile or so."

"See y'all later. Nick, you sure you can handle the girls?" Ellis teased. Zoey shook her head, smiling.

"Stick it up your ass." Nick said, tossing his cigarette out the window.

Ellis chuckled and closed the door behind them.

"I'm going wash up," Nick concluded, pushing a dresser across the metal door for extra security. "I shouldn't be long."

"Have a nice bath, sweetie," Rochelle said as Nick climbed the stairs.

Zoey stretched out on the floor, sighing as her shoulders throbbed against the hard floorboards.

"So how was it?" Rochelle asked, turning her head towards Zoey.

"How was what?" Zoey asked then sipped her water bottle.

"Uh… sex with Ellis," Rochelle grinned.

Zoey nearly choked on her water. Coughing, she rambled, "No *cough* no… we didn't *cough* have sex."

"You didn't?" Rochelle looked surprised.

"No..." Zoey said catching her breath then coughing once more.

"Hm… Nick must've been pulling my leg," she murmured. "That's odd."

"What do you mean, odd?" Zoey questioned.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking that Ellis woulda made his move if you two were naked together."

"No… we didn't go that far," Zoey mumbled, blushing a bit.

A few minutes passed as the women ate their crackers and passed the water bottle between them.

"You know he's been infatuated with you ever since he saw you up on that bridge. He kept muttering that you were an angel." Rochelle added.

"Yeah… he told me that I was the most beautiful girl he's ever seen."

"He told you that straight up?" Rochelle sounded surprised. "He's really gained some confidence."

"Has he? He was really, really nervous last night." Zoey was wide eyed.

Rochelle guffawed. "Well he's head over heels for you, Zoey. I'm sure he was quite uneasy. But whatever you two did last night was a giant step from his behavior on the bridge. I kept nudging him to just say hello to you, but he wouldn't say a darn thing." She continued giggling, shaking her head.

"He's so…" Zoey murmured as Nick trotted down the stairs.

"Interrupting your girl talk?" Nick chortled.

Before Rochelle could reply, the hair-raising scream of a distant horde arose. Faint yells could be heard.

"Ellis.. Coach…" Zoey's eyes widened in terror.

Coach's faint yells became louder, "TANK! TANK!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"GET THE DOOR OPEN! QUICK!" Zoey yelled as she and Nick shoved the dresser out of the way.

"Agh…" Rochelle grunted as she tried to get up, wiping at the blood seeping through her bandages. "I don't think I can fight guys…"

"That's okay, Ro. Just stay quiet and don't catch the tank's attention," Nick said hastily, grabbing his shotgun and slinging it over his shoulder.

Zoey panted heavily and grabbed her rifle, throwing the door open. She looked to the right to see Coach jogging while carrying Ellis' limp body, a tank sprinting at full speed some forty yards behind them. Zoey's eyes filled with horror.

Everything went in slow motion. Zoey turned from Ellis' body lying in the safehouse to the approaching tank, ground beginning to shake. _Zoey.. Zoey…._

"ZOEY! RUN!" Zoey snapped back into reality as Coach yelled and yanked her away from the tank, now only ten yards behind them.

Zoey ran as fast as she could, tears welling at her eyes, back and shoulders screaming out in agony.

"MOLOTOV OUT!" Nick shouted as he lit the bottle and tossed it with all his might.

Zoey looked back as the ground lit up and the tank roared. The flames searing its leathery skin as it roared louder. Its ear-piercing roar was only drowned out by the crackling rumble of thunder. Rain began drenching everything… including the tank.

"Shit," Nick growled as he unloaded shot after shot unto the beast.

"Keep pourin' it on!" Coach hollered, the deafening noise from his rifle nearly drowned out his yells.

Zoey stood next to Coach, her shaking hands nearly slipping off of her sniper rifle. The rain drenched her hair and merged with her tears as they ran down her face. "Ellis," she whispered. Her eyes began tearing over blurring her limited vision even more in the blinding rain. "Shit, Zoey!"

She ignored the rumbling of the ground. The roaring of the tank. The yelling of her comrades. She just collapsed on the ground, sobbing, the image of Ellis' limp, bloody body. All the images came flooding back. Bill being torn apart by infected. Francis' and Louis' bloodied limbs crushed underneath a thick slab of concrete. All the memories she was trying to overcome. _I'm so weak. I can't do this… I can't do this._ Zoey's eyes fluttered. The image of Ellis flashed into her mind again. _My judgment was clouded by a crush… I can't… do this…  
_  
Zoey didn't know how much time had passed as she laid there. She felt arms scoop her up. Through swollen eyelids, she saw Nick's white coat sleeve under her legs. The rain had lightened up to a drizzle as he walked her back to the safe house.

"Don't ever do that again, Zoey," Nick said wearily.

"I'm sorry…" Zoey whispered.

Nick sighed and brought her inside. Zoey croaked when she saw Coach and Rochelle on either side of Ellis, lifting up his bloodstained shirt. She hid her face in Nick's jacket. He brought her upstairs and placed her on the blanket she woke up under.

He stood up and lit a cigarette. "You should probably get out of those wet clothes," he stated simply. "It's cold out."

Zoey said nothing.

"You gonna be ok?" Nick turned around and raised his eyebrow.

Zoey was still silent.

Nick sighed and added, "Let us know if you need anything," before heading downstairs.

Sleep wouldn't come easy to her that night.

Zoey stirred under the blanket. She had spent most of the night staring at the ceiling and on her stomach, playing with dust bunnies on the floor.

* * *

Coach came in the next morning with an MRE and a can of water. _Picked up on the supplies run_, he told her.

_Hunter got the boy pretty bad. _Coach continued. _By the time I shot the hunter off of him, the tank had started throwin' god damn cars. I had to get him outta there. By the time I got him back here, he had already lost a lot of blood. He's recovering well, though. Been eatin' real good even though he can't move much. _

After two days and much prodding, Ro and Coach convinced Zoey to come spend some time downstairs.

Ellis was propped up on the couch, shirtless and his torso wrapped completely around with gauze, snoring lightly.

Zoey's anxious green eyes softened as she saw the man's chest rising and falling slowly. She sat down next to Ellis and leaned up against the couch, her eyelids growing heavy.

When Zoey awoke, soft moonlight poured into the room. She sluggishly looked around the room, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Coach was asleep, sitting up against the dresser in front of the safe house door. Rochelle was curled up next to Nick, who was using his suit jacket as a pillow. The couch was empty.

She had barely even stood up when she heard a loud thud came from upstairs. Zoey's eyes widened, and she hurried upstairs.

The bathroom door was slightly ajar. Ellis was crunched on the floor, breathing heavily and clutching his abdomen, blood seeping through his bandages.

"Ellis… no…" Zoey murmured.

"Oh… Hey, Zo…" Ellis wheezed. "One of ma wounds opened again… Just from goin' to the god damn bathroom," he groaned.

"I'll grab a first aid kit…"

Zoey returned quickly, fumbling while opening the kit. "Let me see…" she muttered, removing his hands from his trunk, where the blood had soaked through the gauze.

Zoey gasped and began unwrapping the bandages. Criss-crossed lacerations were carved into his torso; thick stitches lacing up the deepest gashes. "…Ellis…" Her eyes welled with tears.

"Yeah… hunter got me bad," he explained as laid down slowly on the chilly ceramic tiles.

Ellis winced and groaned as Zoey gingerly applied pressure to the slices with a towel. "Sorry, hon, but I've got to do this to get the bleeding to stop. Just please try not to move your abdomen."

The bleeding ground to a halt in about ten minutes and Zoey coated some clean gauze with some isopropyl alcohol. "Time to disinfect them, El…"

Ellis shouted obscenities as the disinfectant came into contact with his exposed nerves. "I'm so sorry! It's almost over, 'kay?" Zoey quickly wiped his gashes down. After the alcohol evaporated, she placed a few layers of clean gauze his belly and chest and wrapped his torso in bandages.

Once she finished, Zoey helped him over to the blanket in the adjacent room, then kneeled next to him. She was quiet for a few minutes as he gazed at her. She was looking at the floor when a tear hit her thigh. "…Zoey…" he whispered, "What's wrong?"

"I… was… so worried… about you," she wavered between sobs.

"…Zoey," Ellis murmured. He brought her in slowly for a gentle hug.

They broke their embrace after a few seconds, tears flowed down Zoey's cheeks as she brought her legs up against her chest.

"I don't want to lose you, Ellis," she sniffled. "I was so scared when I saw Coach carrying you."

Ellis was silent for a moment, a contemplative look in his eye. "Zo… this is the fuckin' apocalypse. Honestly, I'm amazed I'm still alive. I mean… fightin' zombies is excitin' 'n all, but it's still scary as all hell. All the death… and re-death. I mean… those zombies used to be _people_."

The two survivors sat silently, deep in thought. "Do you think they still feel human… do they know what they're doing?" Zoey pondered.

Ellis shook his head. "Ain't no way them things are human." He paused briefly. "Sometimes I'm afraid that my humanity will slip way too."

Zoey raised her eyebrows. Ellis continued, "I mean… I'm pretty damn sure I'm immune. I'm scared that I might go crazy one day. Some of the graffiti on the safe house walls man… I never wanna end up like that."

"Oh, Ellis… You won't end up like that…" Zoey leaned against his shoulder gently. She chuckled slightly, "Here I am, trying to make you a bit more optimistic, when you're the most optimistic guy I've ever met! Besides, you're a smart man and you have friends that care about you and love you. I don't know what more you need to be sane in a zombie apocalypse." Zoey embraced his arm lightly.

"I guess that's true," Ellis kissed her forehead softly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes****: I'd really like some reviews and suggestions as to where to take this story. Now that this chapter is out of my system… I have no idea where to go D:**

**Chapter 4**

Luckily the supply run brought back enough MRE's to sustain the group for a week. Five days later, both Rochelle and Ellis' wounds were healing well.

"Alright… your cuts look like they're starting to close up well," Rochelle stated as she wrapped Ellis' torso up again.

Ellis stood up unsteadily, "About damn time I'm able to stand up with no pain."

"Congratulations, Farmer Joe. You can stand," Nick sneered as he trotted up the stairs.

"What's up his ass?" Zoey asked.

"Don't worry about him. He's just sore that we've been stationary for five days… and he's run out of cigarettes," Rochelle explained as she packed up the first aid kit.

"Think you'll be ready to get movin' for tomorrow?" Coach asked Ellis.

"Well, yeah… I won't hafta walk much cuz we still got Jimmy Gibbs' car,"

"Oh… yeah. Forgot to tell ya. The tank kinda… flipped our car, boy," Coach added.

"Well shit now…" Ellis paused. "That was a damn nice car; guess we'll be walkin' for a while." He took a drink from his water bottle.

* * *

Later that night there was a knock at the bathroom door. Ellis peeked from behind the cracked door. "Oh hey, Ellis," Zoey chimed. "I was just finishing up in here." She quickly finished towel-dried her hair.

"Hey Zo, I gotta show you somethin'," Ellis took her hand and led her to a door next to the stairwell. Behind it was a flight of stairs leading to the building rooftop. "Wow…" Zoey gasped. The night sky was lit up with millions of stars, twinkling softly. "I never got to do this back in the city, and my family rarely went to rural areas."

"Yeah… Savannah never had the nicest night skies, but me 'n Keith used to drive over to the country to drink and light fireworks. I love star gazin'."

"Well, let's watch," Zoey smiled and tugged Ellis' hand gently.

"So you know any of the constellations?" Zoey asked Ellis, snuggling against his chest, his arm around her shoulder.

"Nah," he chuckled. "I just like watchin' the stars is all."

Zoey giggled and kissed his cheek softly. "So uh… you really think that I'm beautiful?" Zoey blushed softly.

"I'm a honest man. I'd never lie to you, Zo."

Zoey grinned widely and then planted her lips on his, catching his bottom lip in between hers and suckling gently. "…Zo," he groaned. Their kisses grew longer and more heated, tongues becoming involved. Ellis' scent was musky and his taste was irresistible. His mind was in overload. Zoey tasted so tantalizingly sweet. Ellis pulled back to catch his breath, his warm breath tickling her as his lips grazed her neck. His breath sent chills down her spine; her eyes growing glassy.

Zoey panted as Ellis kissed every inch of her neck, down to her collarbone. She ran her hands through his hair, gripping the back of his head and tugging gently on his hair. Zoey moaned softly as he hit a sweet spot on her neck. He pulled back and gazed at her, then gave her a toothy grin, his face reddening.

"Ellis…" Zoey whispered as she smashed her face to his, tongues intertwining. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and rolled him over, straddling his body. She ran her hands through his hair again, their mouths still pressed together. Zoey stopped suddenly when she felt Ellis' throbbing erection trying to rip through his pants. He exhaled sharply as she ground her hips into his. She giggled and bit her lip as his face got even redder, blood supply torn between opposite ends of his body. Zoey's giggling slowly stopped, her expression becoming more serious.

Ellis' eyes widened and his breathing quickened as he saw Zoey fiddling with his work suit, sliding it down his thighs. Zoey bit her lip and smiled broadly as boxers were exposed, pitching quite a tall tent. He moaned as she stroked his member through the fabric.

Ellis could feel his loins throbbing, reflecting his heartbeat, which was pounding loudly in his ears. His muddled mind was in overdrive. His eyes glazed over as he watched Zoey rub her breasts over his bulge, lifting his shirt up and kissing his chiseled abs. Ellis didn't know what to do; he had never been intimate with a girl like this before… He was taught to treat women like a gentleman. Zoey paused and looked up at him, "You okay, Ellis?" He bit his lip as he eyed the woman before him, desire burning throughout his entire being.

He was soon on top of her, his lips battling hers. "Ellis…" she moaned. He began tearing off her clothes, tapering kisses along her neck and collarbone. They pulled each other up, as she stepped out of her jeans, Ellis pushing her against the air conditioning unit. She purred as he turned her around, placing his hands on her waist then running his fingers along the band of her panties. Zoey turned around and unhooked her bra, revealing her soft breasts. She wiggled out of her panties, giggling and smiling at the blushing man. She placed her hands under his shirt, lifting up his shirt and removing it. Ellis growled as she tugged on his boxers, sliding them down past his knees.

Zoey smiled naughtily as his member sprang to attention. Before she could even touch it, Ellis had her spun around, his coarse working hands contrasting on her soft ivory skin. Zoey could feel the rough patches on his hands… callused from mechanics and handling weapons, gripping her hips tightly. After running his hands up and down her back, one hand rested on her lower back, the other adjusting himself behind her.

Ellis moaned quite loudly as his member came into contact with her warm, wet pussy. Zoey shivered and fidgeted slightly, trying to push herself onto the man. He chuckled slightly and rubbed his warm erection against her dripping slit. "…Ellis," she murmured.

"Please… please… I want it," Zoey begged. The man's eyes darkened and he smiled mischievously, his hands clasped around her petite waist. He slowly entered her, groaning deeply as the wet, searing walls of her vagina clenched his member tightly.

Zoey had always been told that the losing her virginity would hurt, but they had been wrong… The discomfort faded away as she adjusted to his size. Ellis began pumping rhythmically, grunting and brushing his lips against her back.

She moaned in pleasure as her pussy leaked with each thrust of his length. Her body was on fire, screaming for release. She pulled away from him and turned around, grinning as she inched closer to Ellis, placing her hands on his chest, slipping from the sweat. He chuckled and wiped the perspiration off his forehead. Zoey pulled him toward her, kissing him, her tongue fighting his lips for entrance. She pulled him down to the warm concrete, giggling as she fondled his slippery erection.

Ellis entered her again and began thrusting again, picking her legs up. Zoey wrapped her legs around his neck as she panted heavily. Ellis gazed through his teary eyes, at Zoey as she writhed and panted heavily. Her eyes were glassy and full of desire. A single tear rolled down the side of her face, as she moaned. Waves of pleasure rocked her body and she whimpered and writhed to the orgasm. He bit his lip as her contractions made the pleasure unbearable.

"Zoey..." he huffed, "I don… I.. can't… hold… on." He gasped in between thrusts. She met his gaze and nodded, panting uncontrollably.

Ellis moaned forcefully as the pleasure filled his body and spread to end of each limb. He pulled out and let his seed spill onto her lower belly. She smiled and giggled as he held his body up over hers, catching his breath. He smiled as Zoey began to swirl the liquid with her index finger.

"My friend always said that cum tasted bad," Zoey said, inspecting the goo on her finger.

"I uh… wouldn't know," Ellis chuckled.

Zoey tasted the liquid as Ellis' grin grew wider. "How is it?" he asked.

"It's… weird. But I kinda like it," Zoey blushed.

Ellis chuckled and gathered the rest of his seed up on this index and middle finger, and placed them in Zoey's mouth. She swallowed it then cleaned off his fingers individually.

"You're gonna get me started again," he said wearily as he lay next to her.

"Sorry," Zoey chuckled; she snuggled up next to him.

"That was… fun," she murmured. Ellis smiled softly and ruffled her hair. "Yes, indeed, it was."

They lay together for a good five minutes in silence, stroking each other's hair.

"How old are you?" Zoey suddenly questioned. "I just realized I never asked you."

"Twenty-four," Ellis replied. "What about you?"

"I'll be twenty in September."

"Younglin'," Ellis chuckled. "Were ya in school before this whole mess started?"

"Yeah I was going to Penn State for forensic studies. My mom always wanted me to get an education, and my dad always wanted me to join the police force. We finally agreed upon that major, which satisfied them both. Sad thing is that I was nearly flunking out."

"Shoot, really?" Ellis sounded surprised.

Zoey laughed. "It's not that I couldn't do well. I just didn't apply myself. I never bothered going to classes. I spent most days hunkered in my dorm room watching horror movies or playing video games. What did you do?"

"My friend Dave's dad had an auto shop. Since we were always tinkerin' with cars and such, Keith, Dave, n' I all decided that we'd work as mechanics after high school." He chuckled. "Keith didn't make it, he dropped outta school his junior year. My mom always wanted me to finish though, and I did. Proudest day of ma life. But yeah, right after graduation we all started auto work, and been doing that ever since."

"Mechanic, huh," Zoey said, inspecting Ellis' rough hands and giggling. "It shows."

Ellis smiled and rested his free hand under his head, staring up at the stars. As he gazed upon each twinkling piece of the night sky, his own thoughts seemed to emanate within each… slowly lulling him to sleep…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Surprised you two didn't attract a horde," Nick said nonchalantly as he and Ellis were cleaning the guns. Ellis blushed a bit and glanced over to Zoey, who was drifting to sleep on the couch. Coach and Rochelle were using sleeping bags upstairs.

"What, you jealous or somethin', Nick?" Ellis sneered, grinning as he polished his rifle.

Nick chuckled. "I like my women to be a bit more… mature. How old is she? Fifteen?"

"You wish… pedophile," Ellis chuckled.

Nick replied with nothing but a smirk.

Although the two did nothing but argue and insult each other, their underlying friendship was apparent.

* * *

"Ready for some walkin', y'all?" Coach bellowed as he bounded down the stairs.

"Don't remind me," Nick groaned as he plopped on the couch next to Ellis and Zoey, who were preparing their backpacks.

"Slept good?" Ellis asked.

"Ugh… you should have heard his snoring," Rochelle sighed as she trudged behind Coach, rubbing her eyes.

After she grabbed her pack, she took out the map. "Should only be twenty miles south to Madison. There's a bunch of small towns going west along I-10."

"Let's get a move on." Coach said, pulling his pack to his back and grabbing his gun.

The main road in Valdosta stretched from their safe house into the southern treeline horizon. Nick and Ellis readied their guns as the gap between the twisting oaks and beech groves grew near. All expected to hear the shrieking of approaching infected. But, no, there was not one single note of a bird song.

After a while there was some quiet chatter among the group… mostly Nick badgering Coach about "how the fuck do we know if the army's evacuation plan has been fuckin' cancelled or not?" To this Coach would keep reiterating that all fliers and safe house walls point to New Orleans. Nick would then proceed to sneer each time.

"You know…" Nick huffed, "I bet even if New Orleans is evacuating…those fucker's'll leave us behind again. They're not trying to save people anymore. They assumed they've already entered the gestation period… won't even consider if they're immune."

"Nick, sweety, the army wouldn't do that," Rochelle chimed, patting his shoulder lightly. "They've got to keep checking the evacuation centers anyway. They should know that people will travel there more so than anywhere else."

Nick grunted as he slung his shotgun over his shoulder.

After a minute of silence, Ellis added, "I think I remember readin' that the evacuation center's in the Kistachie forest."

"They want the camps as far away from the city hubs as possible, so out in a forest is ideal," Rochelle explained. "There's not likely to be infected away from the populated areas."

They began running into groups of infected shortly before they passed the "Welcome to Madison, Florida" sign. The area was still pretty heavily forested on either side of the road.

Rochelle leaned against the sign as she reloaded her rifle. "Madison is just north of Interstate 10. We can start heading west tomorrow."

"You doin' okay, Ellis?" Zoey asked. "We've been walking all day."

"Yeah, I'ma be alright. Gashes on my stomach healed up pretty good last week." Ellis stopped and held up his rifle, picking off a few stragglers in the distance.

"Wait guys…" Rochelle held her hand up as she stood her ground. "Hear that?"

"Fucking smoker…" Nick said cautiously as he wielded his shotgun.

Everyone had their guns at the ready, turning warily at each small cough in the distance. Suddenly, a shrill rasp filled the air and a mauve, slimy tongue dragged Coach into some brush. Responding to Coach's yells, Ellis and Zoey fired at the origin of the tongue, hidden in greenery. The characteristic "puff" of smoke in the distance confirmed the kill, but was followed by gurgling and more screaming.

"Boomer!" Coach bellowed as he took out his pistol. The boomer exploded, showering him in green, putrid bile.

The shrill screams of an incoming horde then filled the air.

"Come on, get up!" Rochelle said, as he helped Coach to his feet.

They regrouped near an abandoned van in the middle of the road. Gunfire tore through the surrounding infected, the creatures encasing the group closer and closer to the vehicle.

"There's a fuckin' jockey around here!" Nick yelled as he bashed a zombie's head in. Suddenly a jockey leapt out of the oak behind him and lurched back, tearing at his neck.

"Get this damn jockey off'a me!" Nick hollered as the two smashed into the driver's door and the jockey jerked back once more, shattering the window… and starting the van alarm. Ellis took out his axe and jammed it into the its grotesque spine, freeing Nick.

"Fuck we gotta get out of here, now!" Ellis urged, as he pointed to a gas station about half a mile up the road.

The group began hustling towards the building, screaming as they blasted, hacked, and charged through countless infected. Zoey nearly stumbled as she began reloading her rifle.

Ellis kicked open the door to the building and drove his axe into the torso of the infected cashier. "In the back here!" He called as she shoved open the store room door.

Coach was the last inside and slammed the door as hard as he could, pushing back against the infected. "Get a damn barricade!"

Ellis pushed a two-by-four against the door and secured it with the largest used construction nails he could find. Zoey and Rochelle pushed a heavy duty shelf in front to finish it off.

Coach huffed as he leaned against the wall, "Good job everyone. Made it here in one piece."

"Barely." Nick coughed as he wiped blood off of his chin.

* * *

The pounding on the door from the infected, the shrieks, the wails, and the various clamor ground to a halt within an hour, allowing the group to settle down for the night.

"I'm so glad your wounds are healing well, Ellis," Zoey cooed as she inspected his trunk. The lacerations were closing up well, held tightly by the stitches. "Do they still hurt?"

"Oh it's nothin'. It's only a little bit uncomfortable." Ellis chuckled. He leaned into her ear, whispering, "I just wanna make sure you're alright, Zo," followed by a brief kiss on her temple.

Zoey's eyes softened as he held her close, followed by a kiss on her forehead. They settled against a few sacks of rice in the corner, both drifting to sleep.

* * *

Unfortunately, for Zoey, the next few weeks seemed like a surreal, muddled blur of reality and dreams. Each day was a grueling, filthy, and painful repeat of the last. Into each small towns between thick, vast swampy forestland. Fighting infected from stragglers to hordes to tanks to spitters. Scratches, bites, acid burns, bashed ribs, and aching muscles each day. The wounds seemed to be burrowing in Zoey's mind.

Well, it was happening to everyone. The same shit every day. Monotony stacked on top of misery with a double dose of killing and lopping off of zombie parts.

And then there was Nick who had long entered the nicotine withdrawl stage.

"Well maybe I can find your precious Keith, slice his balls off, then shove 'em down his own throat," Nick snarled as he clocked a mid-air hunter with the butt end of his shotgun.

"Y'know, Nick, I'm gettin' pretty sick of your shit talk about Keith," Ellis shouted as he shoved Nick, totally ignoring the nearby infected approaching.

It broke Zoey's heart to see the two boys so stressed and angry. She fought back tears as she focused on her rifle sight.

"Well I'm fucking done with you telling us some stupid fuck story about how you and Keith used to pound each other's asses after playing some Georgia hick game!"

"Can you guys please kiss and make up so we can… oh I don't know… maybe MAKE IT OUT OF HERE ALIVE?!" Rochelle hollered angrily.

A deafening roar filled the air as the ground began to rumble.

"TANK! TANK! Two o'clock!" Coach bellowed as he lit a molotov. "Gotta slow this mother down!" he shouted as he lobbed the flaming bottle towards the beast.

The bottle broke upon impact with the Tank's leathery skin, the fire draping down its chest. The enraged tank roared again as he tore a path to Coach.

It ripped straight though trees, hurling them at the survivors, who were unloading all the firepower they had on the monster.

Zoey was running on pure adrenaline. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears along with the defeaning shots of her rifle. The searing tank looked like it was moving in slow motion, jumping and skipping frames, distorted by her tears. It unrooted the largest water oak it could muster, then chucked it at Zoey, who, despite the adrenaline, couldn't react in time.

With one final wail, the tank crashed into the earth, scorching the soil around it.


End file.
